A Princess's Prince
by LAZF
Summary: Three days is all it took for his world to be turned upside down. Sure, he had his freedom, he wasn't dead, and he had her, but was it worth giving up everything he's ever known?
1. The First Morning

_hello, all! look, i know that you guys want me to finish my other two stories. believe me - i do, too. but i don't want to give you guys something i don't approve of, or put my soul into. i have started working on them. i promise i have. but **runningracingdancingchasing** on tumblr prompted me this and i am forever grateful because i just could not come up with something to help me get back in the zone. i have a couple ideas for this story, but we're going to see how it goes right now. _

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_**A Prince to a Princess**_

 _Chapter One_

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This was the weirdest morning of his life.

Sure, he's had some weird ones. Flynn Rider had had his share of really weird mornings. Many of them were after nights that he really doesn't remember anymore. And a majority of them, he now sheepishly admits, were spent next to women he hasn't thought twice about since.

Well, there was that one blonde from the inn, and that redhead from the docks, and-

No. _No_. He didn't want to think about those women. He didn't want to think about them, because they weren't his memories to remember. They were Flynn's. And Flynn is dead.

He put his pillow over his head with a _huff._ He was thinking too deep; confusing himself. This wasn't him. The old him would've been long gone by now. The old him would've had a sack full of whatever that would buy him his next few meals and would be onto the next place; onto the next adventure.

But he didn't know where his next step was, and he didn't like it. He didn't feel like he was in control, and most importantly, he felt trapped.

Yeah, he was free to go. The King had given him a full pardon, as long as he promised not to mess with Corona anymore. He figured that was a pretty good trade off. It kept him alive. He was worried about how he'd make a living, though. He didn't have a lot of money on him and he didn't really know what he was going to do if he couldn't steal. Sure, he could lie and continue doing it. But he promised the King he wouldn't. And for once, he felt like he had to keep this promise. And not just because it kept him alive.

He didn't know who he was anymore.

To be completely honest, he couldn't wrap his head around the predicament he was in. The kingdom that had wanted him dead 24 hours ago had now given him a bed, clothing, food, and a roof above his head. It was hard to believe it was even real, if he was being honest. He was still waiting for somebody to pinch him and wake him up. But it never happened. He had even resorted to pinching.

He took the pillow off his head and stared into the dark of his room. It was no room for royalty; just a bed, table, and a bathtub behind a curtain. He knew where it was in relation to the castle, though. He had taken note of his entire route here, and every place he could've escaped at. It was a force of habit now.

He had a window that overlooked the kingdom in front of him; a view he wasn't used to seeing through a window. He hadn't looked out the window last night, for he was afraid the confinement would swallow him whole and he'd run. But he couldn't run. He couldn't leave her.

He didn't know what came over him, or who he even was for that matter. The man he was last week was not the man he was today. He felt different in the way he moved and the way he spoke and treated people. And all these changes honestly scared him. Despite that, though, there was one thing that was crystal clear in his mind.

He knew he was in love with Rapunzel, and he had never been more sure of anything in his life.

The sudden thought of her made his heart lurch forward in the sense that he longed to be with her. Was she okay? How was her first night alone? She had seemed okay last night when they parted for the evening. She had been very engrossed in a conversation with her mother about Pascal and he felt bad interrupting them. Not to mention he felt like he as if he was walking on eggshells around the people who had originally put a price on his dead body, but the King had assured him there was nothing to worry about. So he had kissed her on the cheek and retreated to his room, which was strategically placed far away from hers, and her parents, for that matter.

He did miss her, though. And that was another feeling he wasn't used to.

 _You've only known her for three days._ He got that.

 _She doesn't even know what love is._ He tried not to think about that.

 _You have no place in this castle except the gallows._

He wished he could turn his brain off.

He threw his covers off and welcomed the cool rush of air as he slowly got up. He felt like he would go crazy if he had to sit there any longer. He didn't know what time it was but he had an inkling that it was still very early. The night was going excruciatingly slow.

His footsteps creaked on the wood below him as he walked over to the window to take a look at the kingdom that had literally changed his life overnight. His hands shook as he pushes the blinds aside and his eyes rested on the soft horizon. The sky was a soft pink filtered with purple and dark blue; a sure sign that he had slept most of the night and, he relaxed a bit, that meant it was morning.

 _Which meant he was closer to seeing her again._ Sure. That was a plus.

 _Or an hour closer to your ultimate demise._ There had to be a switch to turn that part of his brain off.

He leaned out the window, enjoying the cool breeze and welcoming it to calm the panic that has been churning in the pit of his stomach.

He needed to calm down. He needed to remember the words that they had said to him; the promises they had made him. He just wasn't used to all this and, who was he kidding, he needed her. He knew she'd calm him down. He knew if he could just be by her, all the silly, irrational fears would disappear.

But the last thing he needed to do right now was to disobey the rules and get caught sneaking into the princess's room. Even if he was the one who rescued her.

 _No._ He didn't rescue her. She rescued him. In more ways than one. She stopped him from doing the petty crap he was barely getting by on and caused him to open his eyes and see the world around him. That lantern festival was a turning point for both of them. She found her new dream, he found a purpose in life, and then he went and screwed it all up. He should've just stayed with her and kept the crown. His mind wandered to how that night would've ended up, and how differently things would've been right now.

The sun was visible, now, and he could see the kingdom slowly starting to come to life as everyone woke up to the most interesting day this kingdom was ever going to have. The King and Queen had decided to not tell the townspeople until this afternoon, for by the time they had all caught up, it was late into the evening and the town had already long settled into bed. They figured that everyone should use the night and rest up for the big reveal tomorrow. Rapunzel said that she would be okay going in front of everyone, and that she was actually excited to meet so many new people at once.

He was afraid, though, that it would be too much and she wouldn't be able to handle it. To take a girl who had only known one other person her entire life and shove her in front of an entire kingdom that knows and loves her and has so many questions could end in disaster. He had wanted to pull her aside and talk to her alone, but he had never gotten the chance. She wanted to learn about her parents, not be taken from them again by the guy who brought her back and had had the past three days with her.

Still, he hoped he could at least get some time to talk to her alone today and make sure she was okay. He imagined she was surrounded by people she didn't know, and was probably given a handmaiden, and he hoped she was okay. She needed something familiar, and she had Pascal, so he figured that would be enough.

 _It's not like she needs you._

Ugh.

He decided a bath would help him relax, as well as waste time until it would not be unreasonable to go wander the halls in search of something to eat. That is, if he could stomach anything. He let the water fill the tub as he paced about his room, making his bed and folding his clothes. All things he really wasn't used to doing, but the act of doing something as opposed to sitting down helped him keep his peace.

The water was warm and he allowed himself to really enjoy the feeling. He couldn't remember the last time that he had taken a bath this nice. The tub was clean, the water clear and warm, and the soaps that were left for him were the best money could buy. It was like staying at the nicest inn in town, and he chuckled at the thought. He laid his head back, hanging over the edge of the tub, as he sank lower and took a deep breath and closed his eyes…

A loud knock woke up, and the cold water of the tub was shocking. How long had he fallen asleep for?

"Mr. Fitzherbert," a cautious voice came from outside his door. High hopes of it being Rapunzel drifted quickly away and was replaced with annoyance.

"Uh, I'm in the tub. I'll be there in a second," he called out, scrambling to get out and grab a towel. He dried himself off and cursed as he stared at his pruned fingers. How long had he been in there?

He grabbed a pair of pants and tugged them on as he hopped over to the door. Pulling it open, the guy at the door seemed...almost frightened. He was a guard, and by the looks of it, looked like a new guy. Eugene would recognize almost any guard, since he had had a couple run ins with them. This guy, though, was probably new, and he was surprised he was even hired. His helmet seemed too big for him and he kept pushing it up. Eugene swore he could see his hands shaking.

"M-Mr. Fitzherbert," he stuttered, looking anywhere but in Eugene's eyes. Part of him was offended - he wasn't that bad of a guy. But the other part found it humorous that they had sent this guy, probably after telling him stories of how awful Flynn Rider was.

"That's me," he replied, wrapping his arms around his bare chest as the breeze through the corridor blew past him. "What's up?'

"Y-Your presence is requested i-in the dining r-room," he stuttered, then turned on his heel and practically ran down the hallway. Eugene chuckled as he went back into his room, a fire lit in his stomach as he rushed to get dressed. He didn't want to admit that he spent a little more time than normal to fix his hair in the mirror, but he had an impression to make.

His outfit stared back at him in the mirror, though, and he felt despair in in the pit of his stomach. He definitely wouldn't fit in here with this outfit, but he felt hopeless, because he didn't have anything else to wear. Perhaps later he and Rapunzel could go to town and get something to wear…

Who was he kidding. She's a princess! She isn't like normal girls or like a normal girlfriend, for that matter. They wouldn't be able to just go hang out in the city without a second glance, or run off together or spend the night together. For goodness sake, he wasn't even sure if she understood what a boyfriend was, or if he was even that to her.

He took a deep breath and left the room, knowing that he wouldn't really be able to bring that up to her. She had way bigger things to deal with today, and even if she didn't need him, he needed to be there in case she did.

His heart pumped in his ears and his stomach tied in nervous knots as he neared the door to the dining room.

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 _let me know what you guys think! lazf, over and out._


	2. A Mentor

_hello, all. thank you to those few of you who are following this story. my urge is to create, even if the tangled section is very quiet nowadays. i imagine it'll liven back up when the television show comes out. i can't wait to meet these new characters and learn more about the world we love!_

 _anyway, i hope you guys are enjoying this. i love writing these two and i am using this as practice to get more comfortable and understand eugene's inner character._

* * *

 _A Princess's Prince_

 _Chapter Two_

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One look.

One look is all it took for all the fears and questions that had tried to swallow him whole the past evening to just disappear.

His eyes found hers as soon as he walked in, and it was like they were alone in the room. Well, at least to him it was.

Her green eyes lit up the entire room and she flashed him a happy smile as she pushed herself back from the table, her mother and she mid conversation. She was a bright streak of pink and brown as she ran over to him and threw her arms around him in an embrace so tight he couldn't even remember what he was fretting about this morning.

 _She loves me. She doesn't get it, but she loves me._

"Hi, Eugene!" She said happily, pulling back and leaning in to give him a quick kiss. He knew that this was definitely not the way a princess acted, and he could feel his face getting warm as he felt her parent's eyes on them. But, as she pulled away and snatched up his hand to lead him to the chair beside her, the King was smirking and the Queen had a gentle smile of happiness on her lips.

"Good morning, your majesty-"

"Eugene," the Queen interjected. "Please. Arianna".

"And Frederic," the King bellowed. "We're not that pompous."

Eugene's face was burning, but he ran a hand threw his hair to calm himself down. "Of course. Good morning."

"Good morning, Eugene," Arianna said softly, reaching her hand across the table to set it on top of his. "Please. Relax."

They enjoyed their breakfast quietly. Nobody really said much except for Rapunzel, who continued to comment on the decor and layout of the room, and how big a single room in an entire castle could be in comparison to her tower. Everything she said was always a comparison of the tower, and Eugene's heart couldn't help but ache for her. That's all that she had known for her entire life, and now she was going to get thrown into something completely different; the furthest she could possibly be from the tower.

His mind wandered to the last time that she was there, and the difficulties she faced once she realized exactly what was going on…

" _I really don't know what to take."_

 _Rapunzel and Eugene stood in the doorway of her bedroom, his eyes wandering around the murals that covered every inch of it while she paced around the room. Pascal sat on his shoulder, still trying to get his breathing back to what it was before he was kicked across the room. Poor guy._

" _Take what's important to you, Blondie," he said quietly, walking over to take a seat on her bed. Due to the more recent activities he and his body had participated, what with all the climbing, stabbing, dying, and coming back to life, he was feeling a little winded himself. "Just remember we can only carry so much on horseback."_

 _She went quiet as she started to walk around and take things off tables, dressers, or the floor. She would look at something, grab it, walk to Eugene and set it in his arms._

 _She really was beautiful as she walked around the room deep in thought. Even with her messy haircut. His heart lurched at the fact that he had taken away her hair, and he hoped that she wasn't mad at him for it. She barely had anything, and she had already lost so much today already. He knew that this was going to catch up to her eventually, and he vowed to himself that he would be there for her. If he could be._

 _Part of him wanted to run. He knew that to get her back to where she belonged, he had to walk into the castle of the kingdom that wanted him dead. He was absolutely terrified, but he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't put that on her plate. Sure, she knew that he was a wanted man, but I don't think she had put two and two together. He was just hoping they'd let him go. Maybe they'd give him a ten second head start to get out of the kingdom before they came after him again. Bringing back the lost princess had to have some kind of credit, right?_

" _I don't know how to leave any of this behind," her shaking voice brought him out of his thoughts. She was standing at her bookshelf, staring at all the little books and things she had. Eugene set the things he already had in hands on the bed and walked over to her to put his hand gently on her shoulder. He didn't want to overstimulate her. He had to be gentle - something he wasn't used to doing._

" _We can make multiple trips," he said gently. "You don't have to make this huge move all in one day. How about we take only the very important stuff right now, and you and me can come back here and get everything else?"_

 _She leaned into him and took a deep breath, staring at her things for a little while longer. He wondered what was going on inside her head so that he could fix it. But he knew that this was just one of the many things she was going to have to start figuring out on her own, as much as he didn't like to know she would be dealing with that alone._

" _Whatcha thinking about, Blondie?"_

" _A lot."_

" _Yeah?" He reached his arm slowly around her to pull her tighter against his side. Her arms slid around his waist and she hugged him tightly. "You wanna talk about it?"_

" _Not really," she said quietly, her voice muffled by his shirt. His hand moved to her soft, choppy hair and he ran his fingers through it and gently as he could. He just wanted to comfort her, but that really wasn't a department he was frequent in. He hoped he was doing it right, and not making it worse._

" _I just don't know," she stated quietly. "I don't know where home is anymore. I'm at home but it doesn't feel like my home anymore. I don't feel like this stuff is my stuff, but when I think I don't want to take it, I feel like I'm leaving my stuff behind. I've never felt this way and I don't know what to do. I feel like I don't have anything anymore even though I've only lost two things and everything else is the same-"_

"Eugene!"

He snapped back into reality with a jolt, looking over at Rapunzel, who was looking at him with those green eyes of hers.

"Did you hear me?"

"No, sorry," he mumbled. "I was thinking about stuff."

"About what?" She leaned closer to him, smiling with curiosity.

He searched around with his eyes for something to say, and his eyes landed on Arianna's plate. "Breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Rapunzel was genuinely curious now. "What about breakfast?"

"Uh, why this breakfast tastes so good?" That didn't sound believable, and the look of amusement on Arianna's face gave him away to everyone but Rapunzel, who was also realizing she was just as curious.

"Yeah! This is great! Castle food is amazing," she said, playing with her food with her fork, poking through the eggs and fruit on her plate as she got lost in her thoughts. "I always liked breakfast, but lunch was my favorite. Mother always made the best soups. My favorite was hazelnut."

Eugene felt the hushed tone that came over the already quiet room, and he could basically feel the tension radiating off of Arianna and Frederick. Rapunzel was oblivious to the way that her words would make her parents feel, but that wasn't her fault. She's known this woman her entire life and nobody else until the past three days. His eyes traveled to Arianna and could see her staring down at her plate with a look of pain on her face, and he had to fix this somehow.

"I'm sure this castle can make any food you want," Eugene said with a grin. "They've got the best cooks around."

Rapunzel continued on, talking about the different types of foods she would like to have them try and cook. He glanced back at Arianna who was giving him a small smile. She mouthed a quick 'thank you' to him and went back to her meal. He wondered if he should talk to Rapunzel about the whole mother thing, but then he realized that it really wasn't his place, and it really wasn't the time.

The rest of breakfast went on uneventful, thankfully. An older woman came and took their plates away, and Rapunzel was amazed that somebody was taking care of her dishes. He loved watching her discover all these new things. He found himself staring at her while she listened to her mother explain the whole world of servants and royalty. Her green eyes shone with bountiful curiosity as she leaned as far forward as she could; as if the information wouldn't make it to her unless she was as close as possible to it.

He never stopped and looked long enough at anything to truly appreciate it. Even with the crown, he had barely gotten a look at it. He had gotten it, and it wasn't important anymore. He had used that complex in everything in life. Once he got ahold of it, it wasn't worth his attention anymore. It was always onto the next important thing. Until it wasn't important anymore.

But as he watched the way her eyebrows drew together as she tried to figure why somebody draws her bath for her instead of her doing it herself, he realized that this was different. He had gotten her, well, sort of, but she was still important. He had no desire to move onto the next phase of his day, his week, or his life. He wanted that to be her. She would never cease being important. She would always be. She would always be the most important thing in his life.

And he was not used to that feeling.

Breakfast ended soon after. Arianna told Rapunzel of the plans for the day, and how she had to go get a dress fitted for her, and work with some guy with a weird name Eugene can't remember on a speech she'll likely adlib anyway. She got up and walked off happily with her father, not even saying goodbye to her mother or him, for she was lost in the words her father was saying to her about the party this evening. That left him at the table with the Queen.

"Eugene," she said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. "What are your plans today?"

He struggled to meet her gaze, taking a deep breath and wringing his hands together. "I, uh, I'm not sure. I was more waiting to be told what to do."

She stared at him with a thoughtful look, and he swore the tapping of her foot on the marble floor was so much louder than it actually was. He could feel the vibrations radiating from the floor, up his chair, through his fingertips and into the lump that was stuck in his throat.

 _You never get like this! You're a man of skill. You know how to charm and talk your way out of anything._

It was a lot harder to keep composure around the people who had wanted you dead. Or the parents of your girlfriend.

"Thank you for changing the subject," she said quietly. "You know, when she-"

"No problem," he said quickly. "The trick is to keep her talking."

She raised an eyebrow. "You seem to know a lot about her. How long has it been?"

"Three days."

"Only?" She cocked her head to the side. "Three days and she already kisses you?"

He took a shaky breath. He decided that this was probably the hardest conversation of his life. The most difficult moment of his life. And somebody stabbed him once.

"I don't think she….she understands."

His heart falls and his eyes fall to the table as this realization, a realization he had been shoving away because he just didn't want to admit it, finally hits him. She doesn't understand.

"No," Arianna quickly retorts, seeing the internal monologue he has already begun beating himself up over. "No, she understands, Eugene. In some ways, she does. In others, she doesn't. Don't worry about that. I just want to make sure that kissing you is her-"

"Her choice," he looks up, cutting her off. "It's always been her choice. She kissed me first. In her...the tower. You know, after I-"

"After you died."

His scar on his stomach twitched.

"Which is crazy in and of itself," she said, but leaned forward. "But not impossible. Magic works in mysterious ways. That's why I'm here today, and why she's alive."

He knows the story.

She sensed his mind working furiously inside his head, and smiled softly. "Keeping you talking seems to be the trick as well. What would you like to do today?"

He finally met her eyes and studied her features, trying to read her. She had a smug smile on her face as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her eyes stayed locked on him.

He wanted to see her today. But, by the sounds of it, she was going to be busy the entire day. He could go to the town, but the last thing he wanted to do was be spotted by the townspeople and have it throw a wrench in Rapunzel's big day. He couldn't roam the castle, for he'd be followed for sure by nosy servants and untrusting guards. He could go see Max, but they weren't exactly the best of friends. Sure, they were on good terms now, but he couldn't just invite him out for a beer. Speaking of beer..

"Do you need me here?" he asked, leaning back.

She drew her eyebrows together and Eugene noticed how similar Rapunzel looked to her mother. They shared the same quizzical expressions. "I'm not sure."

"Not sure?"

"Not sure," she responded, standing up and walking towards the large windows overlooking the kingdom. He stood up in his chair but did not move; he wasn't sure what the right thing to do was. He didn't want to ignore her, but he also didn't want to follow her around like a puppy.

"There's going to be a lot of people there today," she started. "And I doubt that this will be a one night thing and then the kingdom will be back to normal. The townspeople have been living for this moment, and they won't celebrate lightly. I'm not sure if introducing Rapunzel, and announcing that the most wanted man around was pardoned and is now living in the castle in the same afternoon is a good idea."

He couldn't argue - he definitely agreed with her. "I wouldn't want to cause an upset. It's not fair to her."

"I agree, Eugene," she said, turning back to him and walking over. "You know, you're a very smart man."

"I've had to be."

"I see that," she smiled, then brought her hand to rest her chin on her fingers. "I don't want to keep you locked up in the castle all day."

He wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a joke, but he saw a smile dance on her lips, and he smirked.

"I don't have to," he walked over to her, but keeping his distance. She was still the Queen, despite her relation to the girl he loved. "I have a place I can go."

"Oh?" She was genuinely curious.

"Yeah. It's outside of town. Tucked away. Hidden from sight. High up in the sky."

She peered at him. "Is that a joke, Eugene?"

He smirked. "Possibility."

She looked at him with amusement. "It's going to be an interesting next few weeks."

Well, that was good. That sounded like she planned on keeping him around for at least a little bit.

"I'll be on my best behavior," he put his hand to his heart, keeping a smug look on his face. He felt like he could relax a little bit and that at least he had an acquaintance in her. "But I'll get out of town for a couple hours."

He wished he could be here for her, though, incase it got to be too much for her. She had her parents, though, and they can probably handled it better than he can. Besides, he needed a temporary escape - the castle smelt far too clean and he missed the smell of nature. And he could use a drink.

"Thank you, Eugene,' she said, starting for the door. "Keep yourself out of trouble."

Her footsteps echoed down the hallway and he was left alone, staring out a window onto the kingdom that held the future in its hands.

* * *

 _i hope you guys are enjoying this. let me know if it seems too out of character. it's been awhile since i've written these two. as i always say, please read and review. lazf, over and out._


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